


Travel into the Forest, Forge Your Own Path

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anal Sex, Confusing Sexuality, Death, Drunk Sex, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gang Rape, Groping, Homophobia, Humanstuck, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Virginity, Lotsa sex, M/M, Masturbation, Much Much Much Denial, Murder, Oral Sex, Rape, STDs, Sex Toys, Teacher/Student Rape, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, in like chapter 5 and onward, it seems it'll be a nice happy fic then you read the tags, non-con, oh poor kanaya, teacher/student relationship, this is rated explicit for a reason, unprotected sex, vriskan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-22
Updated: 2014-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-16 16:09:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1353574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was in that moment that Kanaya Maryam realized how easy it was to put a dent in her world, to crack it so deeply that she couldn’t glue it back together again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She’s so graceful, swinging across the monkey bars like she’s in one of her stories about pirates and clenching a sword in her teeth.

Eridan’s yelling after her, still on the other side of the bars, clutching them so tight his knuckles have turned white. He stays dangling in the air, refusing to let go and move to the next bar. She just laughs at him when she reaches the other side, making silly faces and sticking her tongue out at him from the safety of the platform on the opposite side of the bars. Her stance is triumphant, with her hands planted firmly on her hips and her lips twisted into a smirk so victorious that anyone else would think she’s just conquered the world.

Kanaya smiles, looking back down at her book so she isn’t caught staring. The words seem to dance along the lines, and the paper feels warmer and brighter with the sun warming her fingertips as she turns the page. She hopes no one sees her smiling; she doesn’t want anyone to know her childish little secret.

She looks up at the sound of Porrim’s voice, and sure enough, sees a tattooed arm waving at her. Kanaya places the bookmark in the novel, and glances up one last time at Vriska before she leaves. Feferi has come to Eridan’s rescue and helped him down, and they are both chasing Vriska around the slides, woodchips flying as they scramble to catch her. Vriska just laughs again, her blond hair billowing behind her as she stays just out of reach of the pursuing duo.

Kanaya snaps back to reality when Porrim calls out again, and hurries over to her. Porrim raises an angled eyebrow at her, but she pretends not to notice and resists the urge to look back at Vriska again. “Are we leaving so soon?” She asks, keeping her voice even and composed. The corner of Porrim’s mouth tugs upward a little, just barely on the verge of a smile. “Mom called and said she wanted us to come home. She said there was something she needed to tell us.” Kanaya nods, and follows Porrim to her forest green car, catching a final glimpse of Vriska out the corner of her eye. Feferi and Eridan have stopped to catch their breath, and Vriska has climbed to the top of the monkey bars, sitting atop them like she is the queen and they are her throne.

When Porrim pulls into the driveway, Kanaya already knows this is no normal family meeting. Usually when they get home, their mother would hear the engine of the car and step outside to greet them. The windows are dark, and the only light Kanaya can see are the soft rays echoing through the slim windows beside the front door. She looks over at Porrim, her face a mix of confusion and fear. Porrim doesn’t say anything, and avoids eye contact as they open their doors and step out onto the pavement. They walk silently up the path to the porch, but Porrim stops before she twists the doorknob and turns to Kanaya. “If anything happens, Kanny, I’m here, okay?” Kanaya nods slowly, unable to form words. Her lips suddenly feel chapped and dry, despite the meticulously applied black lipstick coating them. She doesn’t know what’s going to happen, and while part of her wants to walk inside and find out, the other part wants to run back to the playground and watch Vriska run from Feferi and Eridan, watch her long blond hair fly in the air like wings on her back as the heels of her sneakers kick up woodchips.

The light was coming from the kitchen, where their mother sits at the table, her head in her hands, her elbows propped up on the mahogany wood. Kanaya opens her mouth to ask what’s wrong, but stops when her mother looks up, teartracks evident on her fair cheeks. She is stunned into silence; she has never seen her mother cry. Porrim steps forward to stand beside her, and is unfazed at the state of their mother before them. “What’s going on?” She asks firmly, her hands planted firmly on her hips. Kanaya admires how straightforward she is, how you can tell she won’t take a crap answer by the way her hip juts out and the way her mouth is pulled slightly to the side in an annoyed frown. Their mother just watches Porrim for a while, her dark green eyes observing her through a film of moisture. After what feels like decades to Kanaya, she draws her arms to her and sits up straight in her chair. She looks from Porrim to Kanaya, and back again, her eyes bouncing from daughter to daughter like a ping pong ball. She stops and her eyes go to rest on Kanaya, who shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot under her mother’s contemplative gaze. “I kicked your father out of the house tonight.” She says finally, and Kanaya freezes. Porrim, on the other hand, does nothing of the sort. She runs a hand through the raven waves tumbling down around her shoulders, and sighs a discontented sigh. Kanaya stares at her mother intently, confused and curious for answers. She’s not sure that she really does want to know more, though.

Her father had returned home drunk, apparently. For the third time this week, the twelfth time this month. How her mother coped had been by coaxing a glass of water down his throat, and managing to sweet talk him into going to sleep earlier than usual. While that method generally worked, tonight had not been an exception. He had come home in a rage, throwing a flurry of punches whenever her mother tried to say anything. What really made Kanaya feel guilty, however, was that her mother’s first concern was not her own bruises. No, she had been worried about how she would keep Porrim and Kanaya safe when they did eventually come home; she had called them only minutes ago.

The Maryam women are anything but helpless when it comes to violence, though. So in the heat of the moment, Kanaya’s mother had grabbed their oriental dagger off its silver perch on the wall, where they proudly displayed it for all to see. That had made her words have more of an effect on their father, luckily. He’d dashed out of the house, screaming that his wife was crazy, that she was a crazy bitch and he’s leaving her. She had dropped the knife and succumbed to trembling tears sliding down her cheeks, clinging to her mascara and allowing it to trail down into black streaks, like coal pathways up to her eyes, vibrant green treetops. Kanaya didn’t care that her father was gone, but it still hurt to know she would only be living with one parent from now on. But there was something that reached her, watching her mother’s shaking figure cry. Something that slipped past her heart and grazed it with talons, drawing just enough blood to make her want to crumble. Something that made her chest tighten and made her legs wobbly, that made her knees turn to jelly and her eyes dilate in bitter awareness that being seven years old didn’t mean that reality doesn’t apply to her. She only managed to stay standing because of Porrim’s hands on her head, running fingers through her hair and rubbing small circles onto her scalp.

It was in that moment that Kanaya Maryam realized how easy it was to put a dent in her world, to crack it so deeply that she couldn’t glue it back together again.


	2. Chapter 2

All Kanaya hopes as she walks through the double doors to her new high school is that she doesn’t trip on her new skirt. She just finished sewing it last Sunday, and it would be a shame to have it rip after all the effort she put into it. The fabric cost a pretty penny, too. Porrim had been excited about Kanaya moving here; she thought that Kanaya would love to see her friends from childhood again. This wasn’t totally false, but Kanaya hadn’t really talked to anyone except a few people. Nonetheless, she was content coming back. They had moved away ten years ago, and everywhere Kanaya looked she was hit with a wave of nostalgia. 

It was refreshing to be able to sit and read in that park again, but she doesn’t remember why she had liked it so much.

The interior of the school is appealing enough, the floor lined with polished linoleum tiles and the walls stuffed with navy blue lockers. She looks down at the map Administration had sent her for a moment, but decides to ask someone for help instead. She spots a boy with windblown platinum blond hair and a ridiculous pair of sunglasses walking calmly down the hallway, acting as if it weren’t completely empty. She hurries to catch up with him and taps his shoulder, then politely asks where the main office is located. He points down to the end of the hallway, and tells her to take a right, then a left, and eventually he’s given so many directions that Kanaya is left utterly confused. She smiles sheepishly and asks if it would be too much trouble to show her instead. He shoots a small grin her way and nods. Kanaya follows him down the hallway, studying the path they take so she can make the trip herself in the future. She listens to the classes happening in the rooms they pass, peering in slightly through the small window to see if she happens to recognize anyone. The only people that vaguely register in her mind are a short, pale boy with a head of muddled brown hair and a scowl on his face, and a tiny girl with chin length, messy blond hair and a blue beanie pulled over it, who seems to be smiling and chatting with a boy with long black hair pulled into a ponytail.

When they do reach the office, Kanaya smiles politely and thanks the boy. He waves and says his name is Dirk Strider, and he’ll see her around. Kanaya waves back, saying her name is Kanaya Maryam, and she’s pleased to make his acquaintance. She turns back around to face the door, takes a deep breath, and spins the doorknob. The main office isn’t that unwelcoming, but the secretaries’ expressions sure are. Kanaya swallows and walks to the desk nearest to the door, where a woman with her hair twisted up into a tight bun sits, watching Kanaya as if she’s a mouse in an experiment. “Hello,” Kanaya says gingerly, trying not to show the woman how intimidating she is. “I’m a new student here, and I believe I need to register here?” Her voice goes up at the end of her sentence, making it sound like a question. The woman is silent for a moment, then opens a drawer in the desk with a loud squeak. Kanaya cringes at the noise, but the woman seems to not have noticed. She shuffles around in the drawer for a moment, and pulls out a clipboard with a pen strung to it. She sets it down in front of Kanaya, and says “Please print your name here.”

Kanaya thinks she sounds like a computer program with her emotionless face and monotone voice, but she signs the form nonetheless.

The woman nods at her and returns the clipboard to the drawer, closing it with another shrill squeak. “You’ve received your schedule already, correct?” She asks. Kanaya nods. “Yes, and a map of the school building.” The lady sends a small smile Kanaya’s way, shattering her emotionless façade, and stands. She’s a rather slim lady, and has long, thick strands of hair flowing down all the way to her waist. The rest is still tied up in her bun. She wears a pair of shining black pumps, and crimson eyeshadow coats her eyelids. Her eyeliner looks to have been applied with precision, and Kanaya knows how much trouble that can be, so she mentally applauds this woman. She dons a maroon and black diagonally striped dress that hangs down at her knees, fluttering whenever she moves. She wears a scarlet suit coat over top, unbuttoned in the front, matching her eyeshadow well. Kanaya thinks this woman could be a model if she wanted to. She certainly has the fashion sense to be able to. To finish the look, a matte maroon lipstick has been swiped across her lips, complementing the rest of her outfit nicely. The woman gestures for Kanaya to hand her the schedule she’s holding, and Kanaya complies. She looks over it for a moment, then hands it back to her. “Your first period’s with Ms. Cherta.” She tells Kanaya, and turns to leave the office. “I’ll show you to her room.” Kanaya hurries after her, feeling somewhat safer making her way through the hallways now that she has a guide. The lady’s heels click clack loudly on the linoleum floors, but Kanaya ignores it; after all, her own ankle high boots aren’t extremely quiet either. They stop in front of a room labeled 506, and the lady turns to Kanaya, then sticks out her hand. “I don’t believe I introduced myself. My name is Cassio Arieti, but I’d prefer for you to refer to me as Ms. Arieti.” Kanaya smiles inwardly and reaches out to shake her outstretched hand. “Kanaya Maryam. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. Arieti.” Cassio’s lips upturn to form a small half-smile, and she turns to knock on the door.

The door swings open to reveal a rather short lady with thick, wavy black hair pulled back into a long ponytail. A pair of boxy glasses is stationed on her face, and her eyes shine brightly when she sees Kanaya. Cassio clears her throat and speaks before the teacher can say anything. “Ms. Cherta, this is your new student, Kanaya Maryam. Please have one of your students agree to be her guide for the week when the period ends.” The lady before them, who seems to be Ms. Cherta, nods vigorously. “Of course, Cassio!” Cassio glares at her a moment before she realizes her mistake, and laughs nervously, a blush spreading across her face. “Uh, I mean, Ms. Arieti!” Cassio nods and gives Kanaya a small nudge forward. Kanaya steals a glimpse at her new classmates, who all have their eyes trained on her. She suddenly feels very uncomfortable; Kanaya has never been good at being the center of attention. To top it off, she’d moved here during the second quarter, so all the other students had already established their group of friends. Kanaya hopes she’ll at least make one friend today, and her mind flashes back to Dirk Strider. Can she consider him a friend? She hopes so. Maybe he’d allow her to sit with him at lunch if she has nowhere to go, but Kanaya knows the chances of sitting anywhere in the cafeteria were slim. She was new, and fresh meat to everyone else. She returns her attention to Ms. Cherta, who seems to have been speaking the whole time. “…may want to show you around, but don’t worry if somebody else volunteers! You’ll love it here, I promise.” Kanaya thinks Ms. Cherta is a little too ecstatic to realize how the food chain in high school really works.

“Anyway, in you go!” Suddenly she is being pulled inside in the classroom, and all Kanaya hopes is that she doesn’t trip on her skirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the Handmaid and the Disciple's names from stars in the Aries and Leo constellations, and I just shortened them to six letters.  
> next chapter will be longer i promise


	3. Chapter 3

Kanaya feels awkward and uncomfortable as the class sizes her up, inspecting every detail from her face to her feet. She feels like prey, like the students around her are about to pounce without warning. Ms. Cherta ignores them, though, and smiles widely as she places her hand firmly on Kanaya’s shoulder, despite the fact Kanaya is a solid inch taller than her. “We have someone new joining us today!” She nearly shouts, her voice booming with enthusiasm, and then turns to Kanaya. “Dear, introduce yourself!” Kanaya nods and takes a breath, hoping to compose herself quickly. “Ah, my name is Kanaya Maryam, pleased to make your acquaintance.” As soon as she finishes her sentence, she knows she shouldn’t have said the last part. A quiet wave of snickers passes through the classroom, twisting its way around desk legs and expensive sneakers. Kanaya’s face burns, and she knows that her blush must indeed be evident on her pale skin, but still hopes that no one notices. 

Ms. Cherta is oblivious to both the class and Kanaya’s obvious embarrassment as she points out an empty seat in the back for Kanaya to take. Kanaya is extremely glad to be out of the spotlight, and hurries to her desk. She only allows her guard down slightly when she relaxes into the cold seat, and glances around at the surrounding students as she sits down. There’s a boy two desks to her left that’s still sniggering quietly, and Kanaya takes an immediate disliking to him. He has bleach-blond hair gelled up in the back, and a chunky violet streak slicked back from his forehead. She can see tacky, oversized golden rings adorning every single one of his fingers, each with a different symbol engraved into it. Kanaya shudders internally at how terribly they clash with his outfit. He has a thickly knit scarf tossed over his shoulder, contrasting the loud blond color of his hair with calmer light and dark blue stripes. The fringed ends hang down over a simple black v-neck that clings to his rather feminine figure. A thin violet sweater, matching the streak in his hair, is buttoned loosely over his shirt, and a pair of tight gray skinny jeans finishes the look. _He sure knows how to pull together his own style,_ Kanaya begrudgingly admits. She wonders how his legs get blood circulation in those jeans.

On her right is a pleasant looking girl with short black hair and round red-rimmed glasses. A sky blue skirt hangs modestly at her knees, and Kanaya thinks it complements her eyes nicely. She’s also wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt that fades into a lighter blue at the ends of the sleeves. She notices Kanaya sizing her up and smiles at her, and Kanaya, ever so polite, returns the gesture. “I’m Jane.” The girl whispers, conscious of Ms. Cherta speaking up front. Kanaya nods and smiles again. “I’m—” “Kanaya, right?” Jane interrupts, her eyes sparkling as she lets out a soft giggle. Kanaya laughs quietly so it goes unnoticed by the rest of the class, and her previous blush fades back to pale skin. “Yes.”

When the bell rings, Jane volunteers to show Kanaya to her classes, and Ms. Cherta signs her a pass so she isn’t marked tardy. Kanaya looks down at her schedule and on the line for second period, she reads _Computer Programming – Room 803, Auriga Castor._ She can’t tell from the name whether it’s a man or a woman, but shrugs it off. Jane tells her she has a cousin in that class, and Kanaya perks up at the idea of another possible friend. She says his name is John, and just look for a tanned kid with messy black hair and dorky glasses. Kanaya takes that to memory, and hopes Jane’s cousin as friendly as her. Jane leads her out of the room and to the 800 hall, her black flats padding softly against the tiles. Kanaya’s low pumps do the opposite, clacking loudly on the linoleum. She regrets choosing this footwear; it’ll only draw more attention to herself. However, her new skirt required complementing shoes, and Kanaya couldn’t just wear a pair of black sneakers. At least she hadn’t chosen spike heels. Jane knocks on the door labeled 803, and it opens to reveal the short, brown-haired boy Kanaya saw when she was walking with Dirk. He scowls at Jane, who ignores him, but when he turns to Kanaya, his expression turns confused, then contorts in clear recognition. Kanaya can’t quite remember the boy’s name, but she knows she spent many of her days as a child in his company. She recalls the surname Vantas, but can’t recollect his first name. The corners of his mouth tug upwards into a tiny smile, a sharp contrast to his previous glare. He steps back and says it’s Jane Crocker and a new student at the door. Kanaya can see he remembered her name immediately, but is courteous enough to let her introduce herself to the class on her own. Jane steps inside and pulls Kanaya with her, and Kanaya is greeted by many pairs of eyes all focusing on her. The man at the front, who Kanaya assumes is Auriga, clears his throat and calls attention back to himself at the front of the classroom. He looks at Jane expectantly, and she gets the hint and leaves to go to her own class. “I’ll be back at the end of the period to get you to your third period, okay?” Kanaya nods and turns back to Auriga, who looks very intimidating for a man his age.

“We have a new student joining us today.” He speaks in a monotone voice, and motions to Kanaya stiffly. “I’m Mr. Castor, and welcome to our class.” He reminds her of a robot. She looks out at the class and takes a quick breath. “My name is Kanaya Maryam, and” she hesitates for a second, then thinks, _Oh, to hell with it._ “pleased to make your acquaintance.” She gets a few snickers, but they don’t bother her this time around. Auriga clears his throat again, and Kanaya wonders if it hurts his voice that he clears his throat so often. “Would anyone mind adding Ms. Maryam here to your group.” His voice drones on so misleadingly that it sounds like he wasn’t even asking a question. The Vantas boy’s arm shoots up, but at the same time someone else raises their hand. Kanaya looks curiously at the other person, and she almost faints when she finds herself staring straight into a pair of very familiar gray eyes.

Auriga looks very surprised to see Vriska raising her hand, and Kanaya assumes it’s because of the reason why Vriska is alone at her computer. Her hair is no longer blond, but ocean blue cerulean as it tumbles down around her shoulders like a waterfall. It’s dyed black at the tips, choppily fading back into blue as it goes up. She still has the same wide glasses perched on her nose, and her eyes glimmer like polished pebbles. Dark blue is brushed onto her inner eyelids, receding back into black as it gets closer to her outer corner. Her eyeliner is a little wobbly, but overall well-applied, with a dramatic wing at the end. She seems to not have any blush or foundation on, and Kanaya sees why, as she has no evidence of previous or current acne on her face. Her lips, on the other hand, are coated in a loud cerulean color, glossy from the lights on the ceiling. She’s wearing a pair of skinny jeans (not as tight as that other boy’s, thank god) ripped at the knees, and a loose black shirt splattered with white dots of different sizes. She has a denim jacket pulled over it, and the ends and hem are frayed with wear. A pair of laced-up, leather black boots come up to the top of her shins, and her jeans tuck into them. Her face is twisted into a permanent smirk, and she’s leaning back in her chair as if she owns the place. Her other hand is resting over her legs, and Kanaya can see her nails, striped with black and blue. Auriga clears his throat again, and Kanaya snaps back to reality. She realizes she’s been staring, but Vriska hadn’t looked away. She turns to face Auriga as he nods at Vriska, who still has her hand raised. “You can join Serket.” He says incredulously, almost as if he’s still having trouble believing Vriska would choose to work with _anyone,_ let alone Kanaya, a new student. Kanaya nods vigorously and makes a beeline for Vriska, and she almost can see seven-year-old Vriska as she looks up at that smirk again.

Kanaya takes a seat beside Vriska, who has propped up her elbow on the table and perched her chin in her palm, watching Kanaya’s face color as she pretends not to notice. She quirks a grin and looks back at Auriga, who seems to still be having trouble processing the fact that Vriska chose to work with someone other than herself. He clears his throat again (how many times can that guy clear his throat in 5 minutes, god) and goes back to scribbling something on the board in a red Expo marker, which he’d been doing before Kanaya and her guide had interrupted. Kanaya turns to read as he writes, and ignores Vriska, who’s taken this chance to watch her again. Kanaya wonders what Vriska finds so interesting about her; Kanaya thinks she looks pretty much the same as she did ten years ago, albeit breast development and a curvier figure. She’d gotten a haircut yesterday in celebration of being back home, and she hopes Vriska doesn’t think it looks bad. Kanaya stops for a moment. _Why do I care what Vriska thinks about my appearance?_ She asks herself. Unfortunately, she finds no answer to said question in her mind. Surely she doesn’t still harbor that childish crush from ten years ago? _No,_ Kanaya thinks, _I’ve outgrown silly infatuations by now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psiioniic's name via stars in the Gemini constellation


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna make this longer but I'm actually kinda busy right now, so I just sort of spit this out ;-; gomen

Vriska loves the way Kanaya’s face looks when she’s flustered. It’s not that she has a crush or anything, but it’s pretty adorable. It’s a sharp contrast to Kanaya’s pale skin, and since Kanaya blushes dark as hell, it’s quite noticeable. Kanaya’s hair is still the same color of auburn brown it was when they were children, but it’s shorter now. It doesn’t make her look boyish though, actually, Vriska thinks she looks more feminine and sophisticated than ever. A long red skirt hangs down all the way to her ankles, and white buttons run up diagonally across the side. Strips of darker red material has been sewn across one side in stripes, meeting the main crimson color where the buttons are attached. Vriska allows her mind to wander for a moment and wonder if those buttons are for decoration, or if her skirt could be undone that way. She snickers quietly to avoid drawing Kanaya’s or Auriga’s attention. It wouldn’t really matter if Kanaya heard her though; Vriska was currently dating Tavros Nitram anyway. Auriga has seemed to finish explaining whatever boring topic he was focusing on, and he sits back down at his computer, staring at the screen and typing noisily. Vriska rolls her eyes and turns back around, but ignores the monitor in front of her completely. She drums her fingers on the table, zoning out as she gazes at Kanaya. She remembers the little crush she had as a kid, but she had never acted on it, and it had faded as she grew older. Vriska pretended not to realize this, but it hadn’t ever fully disappeared. It was tucked into the back of her mind, ignored but still there. Actually, it had almost resurfaced when Kanaya walked into the classroom, but Vriska wasn’t going to admit that to anyone. She was in a perfectly good relationship already, and things were running smoothly for her. She wasn’t going to mess her life up over some petty crush. 

Vriska ignores the annoyance she feels when the bell rings, and she sees Kanaya gather her things and wait outside for her guide. She’s pissed at herself for being such a mess mentally all because Kanaya’s here again, and the other students avoid getting in her way as she strides out of the classroom, giving off a miffed aura. Kanaya looks a little alarmed at Vriska’s expression, but waves goodbye nonetheless. Vriska shoots a devilish grin her way, shouting a “Welcome back to Hell, Fussyfangs!” over her shoulder as she walks away.

Pre-Calculus isn’t exactly what Vriska wanted for a distraction, but it was better than nothing. Tavros is sitting at his seat in the front corner, and waves shyly at her as she walks in. She nods his way with a half-assed grin, but she’s not really in the mood to talk to anyone right now. The odds are in her favor today, as Tavros is already talking intently to one Dave Strider. Vriska doesn’t like the way Dave’s looking at Tavros from behind his shades, but she brushes it off as Dave acting like the player he is. Tavros, luckily, can’t see Dave’s eyes through his glasses, and is talking animatedly about some card game. Vriska can’t remember if it’s called Fiduspawn or Pokémon, but she could care less. She flounces back in her seat with a dramatic sigh, because whoever thought up subtlety never contacted Vriska. She runs her fingers through her hair, brushing her blue bangs to the side of her face. She pulls off her glasses to clean them, and inwardly groans when the bell rings to signal the beginning of class. She doesn’t want to work on anything, she just wants something distracting. Unfortunately, mathematics seem to be her only option as of right now. She tries to focus on Mr. Aquila’s lecture, but it just goes in one ear and out the other. She rests her head on her binder, absentmindedly examining her nails.

She sleeps through the rest of the period.

* * *

The bell wakes her with a shrill yelp, and she blinks twice before realizing she has to get her ass over to fourth period. The teacher shoots her a dirty look before she leaves (he must’ve noticed her sleeping, oops) but she ignores him and throws her bag over her shoulder as she steps out into the hallway. Students stream out of classrooms and fill the halls in a matter of seconds, but most of them know better than to get in Vriska’s way. There’s always one or two freshmen that don’t realize they should abscond when Vriska comes their way, but most people pick up on it through gossip and texts in class. Vriska, of course, could care less. She struts through the crowds with her head held high, cerulean hair tumbling down over her shoulders like a waterfall. She walks without a care, with the squeaking rubber bottoms of her boots as her background music. Her next class is Gym, one she regards fondly, as she finally gets a chance to run around freely during those 40 minutes. Unfortunately, “freely” is a bit of a stretch. Mr. Albali, or as everyone calls him, Sadalm, is kind of a prick. Well, saying “kind of” is sugarcoating it; he’s a bitchy teacher, and that’s that. _At least I don’t have to sit in a damn desk for a while,_ Vriska thinks, looking on the bright side of things for once. 

Some people would think that Vriska looks slutty with her skin tight yoga pants and snug fitting t-shirt, but she only wears those because they’re comfortable. She slips on a pair of black sneakers after unlacing and removing her boots, then pulls her hair up into a satisfactory ponytail. She meticulously removes the swaying silver hoops in her earlobes, but ignores the smaller ones trailing up to the tip of her left ear. When Vriska stops to think about it, she realizes she actually has quite a few piercings. One good-sized silver hoop curves over her lower lip, skewed to the right, and two small silver balls glint shyly from the corners of her mouth. A modestly thin bar with two identical spheres on the ends shines in the light streaming through the locker room windows, the orbs protruding from under the skin above and below her sharply angled eyebrow. The last one is a slightly thicker bar piercing the bridge of her nose, with yet another pair of silver balls glimmering on either side of it. Despite her numerous piercings and concealed tattoos, Vriska doesn’t really look that trashy at all. The bell lets out a loud trill to signal class, and Vriska saunters out into the gym, her stride all confidence and pride. The other girls file out accordingly after her, a few sneering at her supposed pretention when she turns away from them. One of said girls is none other than Terezi Pyrope, but this is a story about the tortured romance of Miss Kanaya Maryam and Vriska Serket, so let’s forget about her. Maybe she’ll come up later if we observe closely enough. 

If the other students think Vriska is pompous, then they’ve clearly been ignoring Mr. Albali the whole quarter. Sadalm is a tall, sturdy man, with muscles prominent in his arms and legs, but not so prominent that they’re bulging. He wears expensive Nike sneakers, along with a snug, black long sleeved Under Armour shirt. His gray sweats seem to be the only ordinary part of his sporty ensemble, but upon closer inspection, an Adidas insignia is visibly sewn onto the space below his left pocket. 

Vriska, miffed as usual, just wonders why he doesn’t slap a brand name onto his tanned forehead.

He claps his hands together with a loud thwack, effectively gathering the attention of the rather bored students populating the gymnasium. “Alright, cupcakes!” His voice is blaring and arrogant, resonating off the glossy gym floor and blue-painted walls. “The nets are already set up, and you all know where the birdies and rackets are by now, so get in your teams and continue with badminton!” Vriska rolls her eyes at his enthusiasm, ambling lazily over to the rackets and grabbing one. Her team consists of two other girls and a boy, all of which Vriska considers to be on a lower level of athleticism than herself. Aradia and Terezi are already walking leisurely to their designated net, and Vriska remembers how much she hates those two. The lone male on their team, a muscular boy named Equius Zahhak, follows them, trailing behind slightly so he’s still not walking beside them. He seems to be sweating rather profusely, and Vriska bets it’s because his teenage hormones are acting up again now that Aradia’s around. She snickers internally; Equius has no idea Aradia’s a full out lesbian, and it’s quite obvious to most girls that she’s got a thing for Peixes. She follows them to the net, ignoring the shit-eating grin Terezi sends her way. Aradia makes a face at Vriska, but turns to face the opposing team nonetheless. She and Vriska both know this arrangement isn’t ideal, but both also know they’d rather deal with each other over a bitching session from Sadalm. The four people facing them are all familiar faces; Nepeta Leijon is waving excitedly to Equius, who half-heartedly returns the gesture, and is trying to convey some point to him through animated hand movements. John Egbert, Vriska’s ex-boyfriend, is twirling the racket like a baton and grinning like a doofus, his buck teeth jutting out over his bottom lip, giving him the appearance of a complete goof. Dirk Strider, who Vriska knows would rather be in Robotics or Programming right now. He doesn’t seem that interested in the game, but she knows he will play to win anyway. The last member of their team is Feferi Peixes, and out of the corner of her eye, Vriska can see Aradia subtly checking her out from across the court. Vriska knows that badminton is all about channeling power into finesse, and when Sadalm blows the whistle, she knows she’s got this.

Sadalm’s whistle goes off again seven minutes before lunch, and Vriska is dripping with sweat. _At least I’m not drenched,_ she thinks, looking over at Equius, who is practically drowning in a puddle of perspiration. She struts back to the locker room with her head held high, and she doesn’t care that her makeup may be feathering around the edges; she just beat the opposing team’s ass. Aradia and Equius gave her some good assists, but Terezi pretty much stepped in at all the wrong times and tried to get Vriska to slip up. She didn’t, though; she was in full control of her body at all times. She opens her gym locker and strips off the yoga pants and t-shirt, yanking her skinny jeans back on slender legs. She then redresses from the waist up, and kneels to lace her boots. She stands when she finishes, then whips out her makeup bag and a compact mirror to touch up her lipstick here and there. She closes the locker door and leans on the cold metal, then pulls out her phone and busies herself with answering the texts she got while in gym. 

Vriska almost feels lonely when she sits at her secluded area at the lunch table, but she ignores it and focuses on removing the contents of her lunch bag. It’s not like she has a whole table for herself, just a big enough portion so that she has enough elbow room to shift around when she wants to. She surveys the cafeteria with feigned interest, which turns to curiosity when she spots Karkat Vantas talking enthusiastically to Kanaya about something which requires a lot of hand movements to explain. Kanaya doesn’t look that interested, and her eyes meet Vriska’s for a split second. Vriska sends a half-assed wink her way, but she doesn’t keep watching for Kanaya’s inevitably adorable reaction. She’s got more important irons in the fire right now. At least that’s what she keeps telling herself. As she looks around the other side of the cafeteria, she zeroes in on one Dave Strider, who returns her gaze almost immediately.

And boy, she does _not_ like what she sees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if updates get a little spastic, I just have a lot on my plate right now. I'll write _much_ longer chapters to make up for it.  
>  Also, reminder that this is my story, and that means my pairings, and there are going to be a few strange ones (cough check the relationship tags). They'll just be mostly implied or little bits, but VrisKan is the main one.  
> I'll post random updates about this on my [tumblr](http://therealdeidara.tumblr.com), so you can go follow me there if you want to.  
> Dualscar's and Darkleer's names via stars in the Aquarius and Sagittarius constellation.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry if this sucks.  
> my dislike for rosemary was physically hurting me while writing this, gomen.

Kanaya’s glad that Karkat’s here, but she still feels a little embarrassed over not remembering his first name. He had said it didn’t matter, she still remembered his last name anyway. He’s talking enthusiastically about one of his romcoms, and recommending different ones to her. She tries to stay interested, but the topic seems dull to her. Karkat’s in the middle of explaining Love Actually when she makes eye contact with Vriska for a moment, who winks at her and looks away. Kanaya’s face reddens, and she turns back to Karkat, who has noticed her sudden change in skin tone. “What’re you blushing about?” He asks. “Ah, nothing important.” She says, trying to sound indifferent. Kanaya is almost angry at herself for crushing on Vriska again; she should’ve outgrown that after ten years! Karkat still looks suspicious, but he seems to realize Kanaya’s not going to tell him why. He goes back into his explanation, and Kanaya tunes out slightly, only half paying attention. She’s got other things on her mind too, not just silly infatuation. She’s helpless already in Auriga’s, but luckily Karkat agreed to recruit Sollux to help her. Kanaya wonders how Porrim’s faring over in Barcelona; she’s lived there for about two years now. Porrim left after being offered an opportunity to work under the woman known as the Dolorosa, and a well-known fashion guru in Europe. Porrim had practically jumped for joy when she received an email saying The Dolorosa herself had seen some of Porrim’s designs online, and wanted her to come over and take a job at her industries. Kanaya sighs; she may be a good seamstress, but Porrim’s abilities are far superior to her own. Karkat has stopped talking by now, and is finishing up a sandwich. Kanaya glances over at Vriska again, but she seems preoccupied with something, her blue lips twisted into a scowl. Kanaya wonders what she could be seeing for a moment, then brushes it off and returns her attention to Karkat again, who has begun another detailed explanation.

Jane stops by their table when the bell sounds, and leads Kanaya to her next class, Pre-Calculus with Serpen Aquila. There’s a man with rather long hair at the front of the classroom, pushed out of his face and back into a ponytail. His expression isn’t exactly inviting, but he seems to be making an effort to pull his lips up into a half smile. Kanaya walks up to him and hands him her pass, and he nods and gestures for her to stand off to the side. Jane waves goodbye and Kanaya smiles back. She takes the opportunity to observe her new classmates before the bell rings again. The boy with the bleach blond hair and violet streak is in here too, and she groans inwardly. He seems to be arguing with another boy with sideburns and bi-colored glasses, who Kanaya recognizes as Sollux. She also remembers the blond girl with the blue beanie that’s sitting at the front of the classroom, bouncing animatedly in her seat. She appears to be doodling something with a red and a black Sharpie, but Kanaya doesn’t lean forward for a better view. She had always hated it when people looked at her designs when they were unfinished, so she figures that it must be annoying to others as well. The bell interrupts her thoughts, and Serpen clears his throat as the class reluctantly turns to the front. She accidentally makes eye contact with the violet-streaked-hair boy, and she narrows her eyes at him as he smirks, obviously recognizing her from first period. She resists the urge to give way to her immature side and stick her tongue out at him. Serpen gestures to Kanaya and opens his mouth to speak. “We have a new student joining our class today.” He says, voice gravelly and low as he turns to Kanaya. “Introduce yourself.” She clears her throat and steps forward slightly. “My name is Kanaya Maryam, pleased to make your acquaintance.” Her stance is sturdy and slightly intimidating as she spits out the last part of the sentence whilst staring straight at the violet-streaked-hair boy. He rolls his eyes, but doesn’t make a sound. No one in this class snickers either; the way she’s looking at the boy must be daunting enough. Serpen points to a seat beside the blue-beanied girl, and says “You’ll be sitting here.” Kanaya nods politely and sits, placing her (almost empty) binder on the desktop in front of her. The girl grins widely at her and Kanaya returns the gesture with a smaller smile. She sizes Kanaya up for a moment, then goes back to scribbling on her paper, the scent of ink creating a forcefield around her.

The rest of the day is a blur, switching through classes and mapping out hallways while Jane watches her through red-rimmed glasses. She saw Dirk again in Gym, and he waved to her. She’s learned that he has a brother named Dave, whom she thinks she recalls seeing at lunch, but she can’t quite remember. Kanaya is rather relieved when the bell sounds for the last time that day; it feels exhausting racking her mind to remember all these people. She’s walking down the concrete steps in front of the school trying not to bump into anyone (which, of course, is impossible with everyone running by her) when she hears someone calling her name. She manages to turn around in the crowd to see a blond girl wearing black lipstick tugging Jane towards Kanaya. “Kanayaaaaaa!” She bellows, and Jane noticeably reddens. Kanaya makes a beeline to them, and greets them both as the stream of students thins out. Jane rubs the back of her neck as she says, “This is Roxy. I told her that I was the guide for a new student today, and she just _insisted_ that you have to go partying with us.” Roxy smiles widely and hooks an arm around Kanaya’s shoulders. “Right on, Janey!” She laughs, and leans a little on Kanaya. She doesn’t seem to be consciously invading Kanaya’s personal space, so she lets it slide for now. “Ya see,” she says in a mock-serious tone, “there’s this party. And it’s been planned for like, a week. Which is soooooo long, y’know?” Kanaya holds back a giggle and nods while Jane shakes with laughter behind her. “And you’s the new student an’ all, so this is like initiation! We gotta take you out to party, girlie!”

“Is she always like that?” Kanaya asks when she and Jane are safely walking behind Roxy, who is sauntering along without a care in the world. Kanaya is almost envious of how confident she seems. Jane shrugs, and says, “It’s just the way she talks. She’s a really amazing girl when you get to know her well. Anyway,” her tone turns a bit more playful, “she’s persistent when she invites you out to party, and she sure knows how to.” Jane smiles, and Kanaya loosens up a little, following suit. “C’mon you guys, stop plottin’ back there!” Roxy turns around to grab their wrists in each of her hands and yank them forward, effectively grabbing their attention. Kanaya stumbles and almost trips, while Jane lands on her rear. She winces for a moment, but her expression soon turns light and she starts laughing. 

And when Roxy and her join in, Kanaya feels like she’s walking on air.

* * *

Kanaya was never big on alcohol, as her mother had gained an addiction shortly after the departure of their father. However, she always made it a point for Porrim and Kanaya to stay away from her when she did, though. Every time she had mumbled something about “never hurting her girls again,” which she stayed true to no matter what. Though, her mother only drank large amounts of wine, nothing like this. This was shitty beer in plastic red cups and the occasional case of spiked alcohol every now and then. Kanaya didn’t feel very comfortable taking a cup from Roxy’s outstretched hand, but she took it nonetheless out of politeness. She allowed herself a sip once and again, hoping that doing so would avoid any suspicion from any of her peers. She’d ended up finishing the whole thing, and had retrieved another just to be safe. The only other time Kanaya had had alcohol was during a party last year in 10th grade, and it hadn’t been a pleasant experience. She’d ended up vomiting in the toilet twice, and woke up at home with a severe hangover. She had promised herself never to come near any kind of alcohol again.

It wasn’t exactly news that she was a lightweight.

Kanaya had never been one for parties, either. The music was always too loud and everyone was always dancing too close. She didn’t really like crowded spaces either. Which is why at this moment, instead of dancing inside with Jane and Roxy, she’s sitting alone on the porch steps of the house, watching the sky with a calm expression. She loves it when the weather’s perfect like this, not too warm, but not too cold. The brick below her rear is unforgiving, but she doesn’t really mind. She succumbs to another sip of beer, but she can’t seem to remember why she wants to do so in the first place. It slips down her throat like liquid fire, but Kanaya can’t find it in herself to care. She grabs the cup with a clammy hand and chugs the rest of its contents, then drops it beside her. It rolls off the steps and past the front entry path and onto the grass. Kanaya watches it for a moment, then looks back up to the sky. Her eyes are half lidded as she thinks about Vriska with hazy thoughts. She doesn’t notice when another person opens the door to sit beside her, but she seems to come to her senses again when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She swings her head around to look at a very pale girl with short, platinum blond hair similar to Roxy’s, except she’s wearing a simple black headband. She’s sporting the same black lipstick as Roxy too, but doesn’t have as much eyeshadow as Roxy on. The little bit she has is also a lavender purple color instead of the bright pink coating Roxy’s eyelids. Kanaya can see so many similarities between the two girls that she wouldn’t be surprised if the girl beside her happened to be related to Roxy somehow. 

Of course, Kanaya’s foggy mind doesn’t register any of that.

The girl’s lips upturn into a small, polite smile and she says, “I believe the party’s inside, but I have a feeling you’re having your own out here.” Kanaya detects a hint of playful sarcasm in her voice, and smiles widely, not unlike a certain juggalo currently high off his ass inside. “I guess you could say that.” She replies, her voice slurring with the alcohol. The girl wraps an arm around Kanaya’s shoulder and lifts them both into a standing position, then begins to make her way down the front path, probably heading to one of the cars stationed nearby. The girl’s arm is warm, Kanaya realizes, and she hasn’t felt warmth in a long time, with Porrim being gone and all. She doesn’t register her movements, she only knows that she wants more and more warmth. She snuggles closer to the girl, not noticing the girl’s face beginning to darken. She opens the passenger door of a black BMW and hauls Kanaya in, positioning her comfortably on the leather seat. She closes the door and steps in on the other side, sliding the keys in the slot and starting the car. She glances at Kanaya out of the corner of her eye, watching her slouch to the side and rest her cheek against the hard plastic on the door. Her lips tug upwards slightly, and she turns to watch the road as she backs out and heads to her house. 

“Somehow I have a feeling you’ll need someone to watch you tonight, so you may sleep here tonight.” The girl tells Kanaya as she leads her inside a rather spacious looking house. Kanaya doesn’t say anything, just keeps leaning on the girl as she’s led up the stairs. She brings her down a hallway and opens one of the doors to reveal a bedroom. “You can stay in our guest room for the night.” The girl offers with a smile. “I’ll go get you some water.” Kanaya grins widely and lays back on the bed, inhaling the scent of fresh linen. She closes her eyes for a moment, then opens them again when the girl returns with a glass of water in hand. “I’ll leave it he--” She’s cut off as Kanaya sloppily presses her mouth to hers. She manages to set the glass down on the bedside table before placing her hands on Kanaya’s shoulders and pushing her back gently. “You’re too intoxicated to know what you’re doing.” She says as they separate. “You’ll feel better in the morning. Kanaya audibly groans and engulfs the girl in a hug, hoping to find that unfamiliar warmth again. The girl just pushes her back again, much to Kanaya’s annoyance. She can’t see what she’s doing with her foggy mind, but she still holds the girl tight and guides their mouths together again, just as careless as before. She unknowingly slips a hand up the girl’s shirt and grasps her breast, gaining a moan from the girl.

Something in the back of Kanaya’s mind is yelling she’ll regret this, but she doesn’t hear it through the haze. 

When her tongue slithers past the other girl’s lips, she isn’t pushed away. The girl seems to be melting into her, as if she’s been starved for touch like this. Kanaya finds herself thinking there’s too much clothing, too much clothing keeping skin from skin. She pushes the other hand up the girl’s shirt, clumsily exposing a silky pale stomach. The girl steps back and pulls her shirt off fully, dropping it in a heap behind her. Kanaya’s eyes shamelessly trail up and down her torso, then she unceremoniously pulls her back to the bed and shoves her hand down the girl’s skirt, rubbing her entrance vigorously through her panties. The girl throws her head back and moans as Kanaya’s fingers move up and down, finding a rhythm. She crashes her lips to Kanaya’s again, cupping her face in her fair, pale hands. Their tongues intertwine rather crudely, but Kanaya’s too drunk to care. 

It’s all a mess of tongues, lips, and hands, and it seems neither one of them are completely sure as to what they’re doing. All Kanaya registers is heat, not enough heat, too much heat. She can feel something warm and wet flicking up and down, just grazing her entrance, and her back arches as she _moans._ Both of their breaths are short as the girl begins to massage the rim, and she eases a digit past the flaps of skin. Kanaya bites her lip, tangling her fingers in the girl’s soft blond hair. Her head is pounding, but she can’t tell if it’s from the fact that _she’s having sex, holy shit,_ or from the alcohol.

It doesn’t make a difference; Kanaya’s a bit preoccupied with the girl currently sliding another finger inside her.

“Does it, feel, good?” The girl asks, stopping to take breaths between words. Kanaya nods, exhaling heavily. The girl looks back between Kanaya’s legs, and begins to pull her fingers out, then push them back in again. Kanaya can see a bead of sweat roll down her forehead as she does it again, thrusting faster and faster every second. _“F-Fuck.”_ she gasps out, breathing out sharply as the girl’s fingers graze her walls. Kanaya bunches the sheets in her fists, gripping tightly as the girl goes faster and faster. “I-I’m gonna-!” She doesn’t finish her sentence, instead letting out an audible whine as cum leaks out onto the sheets and splatters the girl’s face, who looks very pleased with herself. She removes her fingers and runs her tongue up one, lapping up the sticky substance coating her digits. She’s breathing heavily, but not as much as Kanaya, who’s a panting mess on the mattress. The girl quirks a smile, looking almost devious as she watches Kanaya lie there, catching her breath. “I’m gonna go, shower, so if you want to clean, yourself you may join me.” The girl sounds remarkably collected for someone who just brought a girl to orgasm, but the short breaths she takes in the middle of her sentences screw up the calm and composed tone. Kanaya looks up at her with half-lidded eyes, then drowsily pulls at the covers by her feet. She only knows she’s tired, it’s time to sleep, sleep…

* * *

Vriska Serket lies in bed, staring at the ceiling as the fan whirs on through the night. 

She mindlessly rubs at the bruise on her forearm, and closes her eyes to fall victim to a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'know how hard it is to write porn for a pairing you reeeeeaally don't like? and it's the first porn you've written?  
> i'll give you a hint: reALLY FUCKNG HARD OKAY  
> this story is basically just me trying to figure out how to write smut honestly  
> sorry if it sucked horribly, I'M USED TO READING GAMKAR SMUT NOT WRITING VRISKAN PORN OKAY


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry for the long wait sorry

Vriska wakes as the sun is just barely peeking over the horizon, sending streaks of orange and red into the sky, intertwining with deep purple and lavender. She knows she’s not going to school today; even if it isn’t as bad as it was last year, a hangover still takes a lot out of her. She’s not a lightweight, but even she has her limits with alcohol. She runs her fingers through her hair absentmindedly, raking out tangles from tossing and turning all night. 

Tossing and turning, along with a little something else.

She sits up for a moment, looking out the window and grimacing slightly when light greets her face with warm hands cupping her cheeks. She doesn’t feel shitty, per se; just tired. She falls back into bed, watching the ceiling with half-lidded eyes as the pale tendrils of morning overtake her senses, wrapping around her figure with breezy touches and a sense of security leaving goosebumps everywhere it goes. Vriska relaxes into it for a moment, relishing the feel of being utterly unaware of everything, the feel of sinking into the white sheets and burrowing so deep no one would ever find her again. 

_This must be nirvana,_ she thinks, her lips curving up to form a content smile.

Of course, nirvana is eternal, the opposite of Vriska’s situation.

A devious cackle fills the air, shattering the aura of peace. Vriska’s eyes snap open, and the events of last night flood her head, ruining any notion of calm that was before. She sits up and scowls at the sight of none other than Ms. Terezi Pyrope, who’s leaning on the doorframe wearing nothing but a rather tight white shirt and a pair of bright teal panties. The hem of the shirt is riding up past her hip, but she doesn’t move to pull it back down. “Well helloooo, Miss Vris!” she draws out her words slowly, clearly mocking Vriska, who narrows her eyes at Terezi’s condescending tone. “Uuuuugh, you’re soooooo annoying.” Vriska snaps, shoving away the covers bunched around her and standing. She briskly makes her way to the bathroom, hoping to leave as soon as possible. She isn’t in the mood for Terezi’s shit today. She grabs a brush by the sink and wrestles it through her hair, trying to get it to at least not resemble a bird’s nest. However, it seems Terezi has a different agenda, as Vriska notices too late that the other girl is behind her, pressing her body against Vriska’s backside. “Making to leave so soon?” she purrs, coiling her arms around Vriska’s toned stomach, her hands tiptoeing up to her breasts. “I can only put up with so much of your shit, ‘Rezi.” Vriska deadpans, but not moving to stop Terezi’s hands. The other girl grinds hard against Vriska’s backside now, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. “Oh really?” she murmurs, her fingers now fondling Vriska’s nipples through her shirt. “How much is too much?” Vriska bites down hard on her lip, holding back a moan. She’s not going to give Terezi the satisfaction. _Yet,_ she thinks, feeling more and more aroused as Terezi rubs harder at her breasts. “Why don’t we find out, hmmmmm?” Vriska arches her back and grinds her ass backwards, pressing hard into the girl behind her. Terezi lets out a muffled groan, and pushes Vriska forward into the sink. She holds her back down onto the counter with one hand, and gives Vriska a shit-eating grin through the mirror. “Oh no no no, I think _I’m_ the one doing you justice here.” She says, cackling deviously. Terezi raises her free hand, and brings it down across Vriska’s ass with an audible _smack._ Vriska’s back arches, and she bites her lip even harder. 

“Nothing? I’ll hit harder next time, then.” Terezi smirks, raising her hand again. She slaps harder this time, and she can see the skin turning redder by the second. It wasn’t that hard to notice when Vriska’s only wearing a lacy blue thong and a matching bra. “S- _Shit._ ” Vriska mutters, and Terezi laughs again. She leans forward grabs either side of Vriska’s ass, pulling it back and rubbing it up and down against Terezi’s panties. Vriska gets the memo and pushes back hard, finding a rhythm as she grinds forcefully against Terezi. She does this only for a moment, then turns around quickly so she isn’t caught and throws her body against the other girl’s. She shoves a knee up between Terezi’s legs as she holds her hand on either side of the opposing girl’s face, locking their lips effectively. Vriska thrusts her tongue into Terezi’s mouth and intertwines roughly with the other girl’s. Terezi doesn’t back down, though, and slips a hand past the waistband of Vriska’s thong, pulling it down easily. She wriggles the same hand between them and starts to massage the lips of Vriska’s entrance. Terezi breaks away and begins to trail kisses up and down Vriska’s neck, giving her a chance to hear Vriska whine. She lets her hands falls to her sides and clenches her fists, shoving her knee farther up between Terezi’s legs, moving back and forth across Terezi’s entrance through her panties. She can feel the fabric turning wetter and wetter every second, and she snickers. “You’re sooooo wet already, hmmmm?” She breathes out, and Terezi bites down on her neck. Vriska yelps and throws her arms around the other girl, her hands grasping Terezi’s ass tightly. She smirks and slowly inches her hands under the teal panties, touching lightly between the cheeks just enough to arouse the other girl even more. Vriska plays with the waistband teasingly, her fingers coming dangerously close to Terezi’s entrance then retracting immediately. Terezi responds to her teasing by thrusting a digit up inside Vriska, stroking her walls tenderly. Vriska clenches her fingers around Terezi’s ass again as she throws back her head to moan audibly. The other girl doesn’t go slow as she pulls out and pushes back in again; in fact, she seems almost desperate to get Vriska to climax. “Oh, you want to see me come already? You’re _suuuuuch_ a slut.” Vriska snickers between short breaths. Terezi growls and crashes their lips together again, pulling back slightly only to whisper, “Oh shut _up._ ” Vriska feels her pull her finger out again, and this time two enter her instead of one. She’s panting heavily now, and despite wanting to last longer to spite Terezi, she knows she’s close. _Well, fuck it._ she decides, and moans into Terezi’s mouth. Unfortunately, the other girl doesn’t want to give Vriska the chance to hide her sounds in tongues and lips, so she breaks away and starts sucking spots on Vriska’s neck, leaving bruises in her wake. She grins when she hears Vriska whine, and slides another digit inside her. “F- _fuck!_ ” Vriska moans loudly as she feels herself climax, and all the arousal she built up inside her comes flooding out. Terezi gives Vriska her best shit-eating grin as she watches cum drip from the other girl’s entrance. She giggles and saunters out of the bathroom, but turns her head to sneak in a snide remark before she leaves. “See, was that too much shit to put up with?” she spits out, looking rather pleased with herself. Vriska rolls her eyes and leans back onto the sink, trying to catch her breath. She spins around to face the mirror and rests her palms on the porcelain surface, holding herself up. A bruise on her forearm catches her eye, but she ignores it and tries to focus on her now-messed-up-again hair.

She untangles it with a red plastic brush.

* * *

“J-Just please, don’t talk to me again.” And with that the girl shuts the door in Kanaya’s face, and Kanaya’s head hurts more than ever.

She stumbles down the sidewalk, clutching the plastic bag at her side tightly. She’d at least gotten to clean herself up a little before being barged in on and thrown out, but what did she expect? She was drunk and had had a one night stand with a girl whose name she didn’t even know. She’d have to ask Roxy; after all, the girl did bear a striking resemblance to her. It was early, too early to not be asleep in bed. The sun wasn’t even up yet, and morning mists swirled in her vision like specters. She has an aching headache, and jolts of pain almost knock her off the sidewalk then and again. The road beside her is familiar, though, so she knows she’s going the right way. The cars passing by her send gusts of wind her way, ruffling her hair with cool fingertips. Some of them are rather strange colors; she’s seen both an orange Hummer and a purple SUV. She notices another approaching, this one a deep violet BMW. She quirks a brow at it and turns forward again, wrapping her arms around herself and continuing her trek home.

What she doesn’t expect the BMW to do is stop.

The backseat window rolls down to reveal the bleach-blond-haired boy, the violet streak more prominent than ever. He raises an eyebrow at her, and she pretends not to notice him, although it would be a little alarming if she actually didn’t. “Hey.” He calls out the window, and the car edges forward to match Kanaya’s pace. She doesn’t know who this guy thinks he is and what the hell he wants with her, but she sighs and stops walking to face him nonetheless. He opens the car door and steps out, then closes it and leans back on it.

Kanaya thinks he looks like a tool. _He probably is,_ she thinks.

“So what the hell are you doing out here at this hour, Miss Maryam?” His tone turns condescending at the end of his sentence, and Kanaya hears him wobble a bit on the w of what. She ignores his blatant mocking of her previous introduction in class, and responds, “And what business is it of yours exactly?” He jams his hands in the tiny pockets of his skinny jeans before answering, “Well, when the fuckin’ new kid is stumblin’ around at the crack a’ dawn, I get a little curious. Plus, you look like shit.” Kanaya can clearly hear his voice quivering on the w’s, and she inwardly snickers. “Well,” she says, imitating his verbal tic, “I don’t believe it’s any of your business.” He smirks at her, and crosses his arms. “Tell you what. I’ll get Cro here to give you a ride home if you tell me why the fuck you’re out here at four AM.” 

Kanaya notices he wobbles on his v’s, too.

* * *

Vriska eventually gave up on her hair, and bolted out of the apartment to avoid another (undoubtedly steamy) encounter with Terezi. She doesn’t understand how a blind chick manages to live alone, but Mrs. Pyrope apparently allows it. She remembers how psyched Terezi was when she found out her mother was going to let her live on her own for a while, and it had Vriska pouting for two weeks straight that her mom wouldn’t let her do the same. A while turned into a year, and a year turned into until college. 

Vriska remembers Terezi saying she was so excited because now they could be together at night, and Vriska caught her drift right away. They’ve had these hate-love sex lives for a solid year now, but now that Kanaya’s back, Vriska’s beginning to rethink her decision. She stops that train of thought right away, knowing it would cause her only mental discord.

After all, what she feels for Terezi is the closest thing to love she knows. Her sister was always off running around with some girl in braids, and was never home to endure their mother’s wrath. Vriska’s grown used to her mother by now, but she still feels the same shard of fear stabbing at her every time she notices too many beer bottles in the recycling bin. Terezi offered her temporary solace, offered her time when Aranea’s antics and her mother’s drinking were wiped from her mind. If she lost her innocence in the process, then so be it. 

Vriska stops walking and pulls out her phone for a moment. She looks down at the digital clock, which reads _10:32 AM._ She decides that she’s not going to school today.

* * *

Kanaya shifts uncomfortably in the leather passenger seat, clasping her hands together to avoid fidgeting. The man driving looks like he’s in his late twenties, with slicked back black hair and a leather jacket that looks like it was pulled straight from the 1950s. He has to strangely shaped scars above his left eyebrow, and an unlit cigarette dangles from his mouth. Kanaya’s no stranger to _Grease,_ and she wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if this guy was imitating John Travolta. 

“Hey.” She twists in her seat to glance back at the other boy, who looks quite unsatisfied. “Did you or did you not promise to spill the beans on why the fuck you’re walkin’ around this early?” Kanaya inwardly groans, and turns around to face forward again. “I don’t even know either of your names, so you mind telling me why I’m obligated to tell you my reasons for being outside early in the morning?” Before the boy can respond, she continues. “Oh, wait, you’re not doing this out of the kindness of your heart? I’m hurt.” “Okay, okay, enough a’ your sassy bullshit.” He interjects, rubbing his temples like he has a terrible migraine. He drops his hands back to his lap when Kanaya turns around again, and takes a deep breath. “Eridan Ampora. This wannabe’s Cronus, my brother.” She snickers silently when he says ‘wannabe’; Cronus must dress like this regularly. Said wannabe rolls his eyes and his cigarette in his mouth, but doesn’t say anything. “So now you gonna tell me or what?” Eridan says with a miffed tone. Kanaya tilts her head to the side for a moment like she’s considering letting them know, then looks back to him and responds with a simple “No thank you.” Eridan groans and sinks back into his seat, burying his nose in the scarf hanging around his neck. He seems to know he won’t be getting any answers from Kanaya.

Cronus stops at her house ten minutes later, and Kanaya thanks him and (reluctantly) Eridan before she leaves the car. The sun’s still not up yet, and as she hears the car drive away she remembers that she didn’t ask why Eridan and Cronus were up at four AM. She shrugs it off, figuring that if they were nice enough to give her a ride she might as well not meddle with their personal affairs. Kanaya strides inside, and is surprised to find the house completely empty. “Mother?” She calls up the stairs, but hears no response. She turns around again with a puzzled expression, then remembers she might as well get ready before school. She opens a cabinet pulls out a bottle of aspirin and pours herself a glass of water, then swallows two of the pills with a gulp. Kanaya glances at the clock beside the fridge, which reads 4:25. She’s got about two and a half hours before she has to leave for school, giving her plenty of time to shower and dress. She finishes her water and leaves the glass upside down in the sink.

The water helps clear her mind a little, and eventually she starts to feel the aspirin kick in. She dries her hair and combs it out, then styles it her usual way. She chooses to wear a black skirt today, then adds a flowing green top and a belt to finish the ensemble. The question of why Eridan and Cronus were driving around so early still plagues the back of her mind, but she decides to ignore it rather than let curiosity get to her. Soon she heads back downstairs, with jade green on her eyelids matching her blouse and black coating her lips like the skirt hanging down over her legs. She sets a tea kettle on the stove, then sets a teacup on the counter beside it with a packet of vanilla tea. Kanaya’s glad her mother’s not up right now; her drinking had gotten worse and worse. Of course, she never dared lay a hand on Kanaya, but sometimes she came a little too close for comfort. Kanaya shakes the thoughts from her head and busies herself with packing a lunch instead.

* * *

Vriska pulls her jacket tighter around her slim figure, though the afternoon air wasn’t cold in the least. The sidewalk she usually takes home is getting more and more unruly with plantlife every time she sees it, and there’s so much ivy sticking out between the cracks she’s surprised she hasn’t grazed an ankle on it yet. Thoughts of Terezi and Kanaya trouble her mind, but she pushes them aside and focuses on the matter of what exactly is going to happen when she reaches home. Her mother was never happy when she skipped school, in fact, Vriska can’t remember the last time she saw her mother happy. The lady maintained Vriska’s wardrobe and gave her a roof to sleep under, but that was it. She was never one to coddle her daughter, and that was how Vriska learned to defend herself. Although the house she lives in is rather spacious and uppity-looking, the neighborhood surrounding it is anything but. She’s had many adventures there, but not all of them were fun.

Vriska opts to lock herself in her room rather than deal with an encounter with her mother, and opens her laptop as she flounces onto her bed. Her Pesterchum app lights up and sounds a _ding_ but she sticks her tongue out at the screen and closes the lid again. She lays back and drops her head onto the pillow, absentmindedly tugging at her sleeve. It rides up, but she closes her eyes before getting a decent view of her forearm.

She falls asleep almost immediately, leaving her arm exposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gasp what's with all this shit about her arm is this a slight cliffhanger i detect  
> again, i'm extremely sorry about the long wait for this chapter! i've been very busy lately and only got time to finish this chapter today. i hope that there won't be another wait that long, but i can't promise anything. my schedule isn't as full anymore though, so i think we're okay  
> pester me to update at therealdeidara.tumblr.com


	7. NEWS

HELLO THERE FRIENDS. ok first things first: i am very much not dead! my friend called 911 and they got me into a hospital to make sure the pills i took weren't fatal, and later moved me up to the psych unit! i was in there for about 5 days, i think (you lose track of time when you can't go outside and shit blargh) but i just got discharged and the first thing i did was check my tumblr inbox and the comments here! (hehe i bet a bunch of the fics i'm following updated, score) BUT. thank you all so much for your comments and thank you to those of you who left messages on my tumblr!!!! i've written a few oneshots while i was in the hospital, but i'm gonna try and get back into the vriskan groove for you all! i'm on antidepressants now and feeling better than ever. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! i promise i'll try my best to do longer and more consistent updates here, but i promise i'm not abandoning this story!! thanks again!!! - Lauren


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